


Petals

by carikube_ft



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Luwoo, hanahaki, im Jungwoo (SM Rookies)/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas Kim Jungwoo/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas, woocas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-13
Updated: 2018-11-07
Packaged: 2019-07-11 17:13:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 5,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15976805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carikube_ft/pseuds/carikube_ft
Summary: Flowers are nice, especially pink flowers. That’s what Jungwoo tells himself every time when a coughing episode is happening. Pink flowers are pretty, but when they are covered in blood, they’re much more…  intriguing.





	1. Hanahaki

**Author's Note:**

> ah.

“Hanahaki disease, a fictional disease- Jungwoo this is bullsh it. Who said that it’s a fictional disease? If it’s fictional, will my Jungwoo suffer so much? I swear-”

Doyoung said, slamming his laptop close. Doyoung and Jungwoo had been friends since the first year of high school, ten years of friendship made them

inseparable. Although they’re ridiculously clingy with each other, they see each other as nothing but a platonic soulmate, or blood brothers, if you may.

 

“Doyoung, I love you but could you keep going?” Jungwoo asked, sitting on his bed stuffed inside a mountain of pillows and blanket.

 

“And it’s getting a bit hot, just because I have hanaha-”

 

“Don’t you dare say its name. I don’t want you to catch a cold in your current condition.” Doyoung said, before sighing and reopening his laptop.

 

“As I was saying… before someone rudely interrupt-”

 

“You literally interrupted yourself.”

 

“… Shush. A fictional disease which the patient gets from suffering from unrequited- what the hell does that mean?”

 

“Doyoung.”

 

“Fine. Which the patient gets from suffering from unrequited love. The patience would cough out petals every few days. The disease is untreatable, unless-”

Doyoung stopped, looking up from his computer to meet his glance with Jungwoo ‘s.

 

“Unless the patience is willing to either… kill his or hers love interest, undergo a certain surgery- I swear this website is driving my insane. Undergo a certain

surgery? What certain surgery?” Doyoung continued before stopping again. Jungwoo gave Doyoung a stare, causing the latter to sigh.

 

“Undergo a certain surgery or… accept his/hers fate a slowly wither away. Jungwoo are you hearing this? This fuc-” Before Doyoung was able to finish his

sentence,

Jungwoo interrupted him by dramatically cleaning his throat.

 

“I guess… the third choice is the most suitable for me.” Jungwoo said carefully, hugging a pillow. He could see how upset Doyoung is through his eyes, so he

gently throws a pillow at him.

 

_“Kim Jungwoo! Do that one more time and I will kill you.” Doyoung said, picking the pillow back up and throwing it back at Jungwoo. Jungwoo knew this would_

_cheer his friend up, he hides a smile and used a pillow as a shield. It was so easy back then, two 15-year-old boys, living life without concerns._

 

The pillow hits Doyoung, who showed no reaction through his face nor body language. He did gently picked the pillow up, kneels and hides himself behind it.

 

“Doyoung? Are you okay?” Jungwoo asked, climbing out of his ‘fortress’. He could see Doyoung shaking slightly, heart wrenching as he realized was the reason

behind Doyoung ‘s sorrow. He slowly sits down behind him, patting Doyoung ‘s back.

 

“I’m gonna get you a cup of water, okay?” Jungwoo said softly, before standing up. Just as Jungwoo ‘s about to leave to room, he crumbled to the ground,

coughing. He grabbed the part of his shirt in front of his heart desperately, trying to lessen the pain. Goddammit that really hurts.

 

“J-Jungwoo? Don’t move, stay here, I- I’ll be right back, with a cup of water. Y-you’ll be okay.”

 

Petals, there you are. Jungwoo thought, looking down at his hand. His two hands hold each other while shaking, there was blood scattered around and over

small, pink petals at the palm of his hand. At least, at least the petals are in a nice shade of pink.

 

Doyoung rushed back to the scene soon after, carrying a cup of water and a few tablets of medicine. He puts the items on the floor and drags the rubbish bin in

front of Jungwoo, handing him a box of tissue.

 

“Throw them away.” Doyoung said softly, talking about the petals. Jungwoo hesitantly shake the petals off, into the rubbish bin. Doyoung knew how Jungwoo

likes to wash the petals and store it into the mason jar in Jungwoo’s bedroom. He personally believes it’s not healthy for Jungwoo to constantly remind himself

of the bad times he had. Doyoung took out a piece of tissue and grabs Jungwoo ’s hand, carefully wiping all the blood off.

 

“I brought some Tylenol, I’m not sure if it’ll help with your condition but it might relieve the pain a bit.” Doyoung said, handing Jungwoo the cup of water.

Jungwoo tried to receive the cup with both of his hand, but his hand was too weak to hold it up. Fortunately, Doyoung reacted fast and put his hand under the

cup, glancing at Jungwoo with a concerned look.

 

“Doyoung?” Jungwoo said, after taking a big sip of water. Doyoung hummed in respond, handing Jungwoo the tablet.

 

“I’m so thankful I have you.” Jungwoo said sincerely. Doyoung smiled warmly at his friend, patting Jungwoo ‘s head softly.

 

“Now eat the medicine. Let’s just rest for today, and we’ll talk about… your choices tomorrow.”

 


	2. A short call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Lucas calls Jungwoo

“Is this… Kim Jungwoo?”

 

“Yes? And you are?”

 

“Ah I’m Lucas, we’re from the same collage.”

 

“Lu- Lucas? Uh- Nice to meet you. Why exactly are you calling me?”

 

“I was hoping… that you could give me your sisters number.”

 

“M-my sister? Kim Mirae?”

 

“That’s correct. I was thinking of asking her out on a date.”

 

“O-oh. Alright. It’s 123-456-789.”

 

“Thanks man! See you around?”

 

“Y-yeah, sure.”

 

“Alright! Oh and, why do you stutter so much?”

“…”

 

“It’s okay, it’s cute. Bye!”

 

Beep… beep…

 

*

 

“Jungwoo? Where did you go, I was worried sick!” Doyoung said as soon as he heard the sound of doors opening. Jungwoo walks straight pass Doyoung and

humps onto the sofa in the middle of their shared apartment.

 

“Lucas called me.”

 

“Lucas? That’s… great! I can’t see why you look so upset for him finally making a move.”

 

“He was asking for Mirae ’s number.”

 

“Oh… I mean… maybe they had a project together and-”

 

“He told me he’s gonna ask her on a date.” And with that, Jungwoo started coughing. This time, it hurts much more than all the previous episodes. Jungwoo felt

like he was sent to outer space with nothing but pain. The world was spinning, his blood pressure was increasing, petals was appearing. He could tell Doyoung

was telling him something but he couldn’t quite make out what he was saying. Doyoung ’s panicked face was the last thing he saw before he fainted.


	3. Kim Mirae

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kim Mirae, Jungwoo's older sister

Mirae was there when Jungwoo woke up, caressing his hand softly.

 

“Woo! You’re finally awake!” Mirae said as soon as she saw Jungwoo ‘s eyes open. She handed him a cup of water and watched slowly as her brother took a sip.

 

“You never told me you have… hanahaki.” Mirae said softly, Jungwoo could hear a hint of disappointment in her voice.

 

“I could’ve helped you, you know? You could’ve told me. You know I’ll always believe in what you say.”

 

“I- I know, I know that.” Jungwoo said cowardly, clutching onto the cup of water. Mirae sighed softly as she pats Jungwoo ‘s hair.

 

“My responsibility as an older sister is protect you from all the bad people in the world.”

 

 

 

_“Stop it!” Mirae yells, standing in front of her brother. Jungwoo held on to Mirae ‘s hand, shaking from the current situation. The other boys eventually ran away,_

_after_ _realizing they’re not able to beat the fragile boy ‘s sister._

 

 

 

_“Now, Woo, tell me what they said.” Mirae asked, kneeling in front of Jungwoo. Jungwoo shook his head slightly before Mirae sighs softly._

 

_“You can tell me, Woo.” Mirae said softly, drawing circle with her thumb on Jungwoo ‘s tiny hand. Jungwoo hesitated for a while, before finally talking._

 

_“They- they called me ugly, they called me stupid, they called me a monster… they- they hit me with rocks and draw scary things on my table.” Jungwoo said,_

_hiccupping between his tears._

 

 

 

_“And why’s that?” Mirae asked, trying to contain her anger in front of her brother._

 

 

 

_“Be- because… I-”_

 

 

 

_“Jungwoo… you can tell me. You know I’ll always believe in what you say.”_

 

 

 

_“Promise?”_

 

 

 

_“Promise.”_

 

 

 

_“They don’t like me because, I- I’m weird, I’m a monster who like boys.” Jungwoo said cautiously, looking up to see his sister’s expression. First there was_

_sorrow, _then there was furiousness, and lastly disappointment._ _

 

 

 

_“Jungwoo, you are not a monster. You can like whoever you want.”_

 

 

 

_“Then… why do they dislike me?” Mirae ’s heart dropped before pecking her brother’s cheeks softly._

 

 

 

_“Because, they’re the monster.”_

 

 

 

_“Remember this Woo, my responsibility as an older sister is protect you from all the bad people in the world. So, if anything bad happen, you need to tell me,_

_okay?”  
_

_Mirae asked, looking at Jungwoo. Jungwoo nodded slowly, looking back at his sister._

 

 

 

_“Now, let’s get some ice-cream. Would you like that?” Mirae asked. Her heart melted as she saw the sweet smile on Jungwoo ’s face._

 

 

 

_“Yes! Can I get the chocolate one, the vanilla one, and the strawberry one?”_

 

 

 

_“Anything you want Woo.”_

 

 

 

Jungwoo looked at Mirae, smiles softly before telling his story.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this made me so soft


	4. A decision

 

“Ah Doyoung, I knew you’ll be here.” Mirae said, walking into the hospital Jungwoo is currently in. Doyoung ‘s eyes was barely open, head falling on to his

shoulder on the cold, hard bench.

 

“Mi-Mirae?” Doyoung asked, after a yawn. He tilted his head back, using a hand to massage his neck and shoulder.

 

“Jungwoo is still sleeping, the doctors said he’ll be up in-”

 

“Doyoung, I’m here to discuss something to you.” Mirae said, she noticed the baffled look in Doyoung ‘s eyes.

 

“You might not have known this, but after Jungwoo moved out with you, I’ve been studying… diseases.” She stopped, took a deep breath between continuing.

 

 

“Especially Hanahaki.” She said. Doyoung was amazed, to say at least. Mirae continued speaking before Doyoung got to make any comments.

 

“I, myself, had… hanahaki. Let me tell you, it’s not the best experience.”

 

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but, what?”

 

Mirae took another breath, before telling her story. She came across this disease on the internet, called hanahaki. Mirae was curious, the disease sounded fairly

interesting. There weren’t many people who believed in hanahaki, yet she was able to find a professor who did and happens to live ridiculously close. Mirae

visited him, she wished he hadn’t been so sweet, explaining the same concept over and over again without annoyance, smiling adoring at her and always

welcome her with open arms. If he hadn’t, she wouldn’t have fallen in love with the boy.

It was quite sarcastic, really, when she started coughing out the petals she’d only saw in pictures. What she found more pathetic, is that the professor was the

one who did her surgery to forget about him.

 

“And uh… I did the surgery and completely forgot about him. I forgot those memories until months ago were I found my old journal where I had record

everything about him and hanahaki.” Mirae finished.

 

“I- I’m sorry…”

 

“Don’t be.” Mirae softly commented. They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, before Doyoung speak up again.

 

“So uh… is that what you wanted to discuss with me?”

 

“Oh shoot I got of topic. No, it isn’t. You remembered I did a surgery, right?” Doyoung nodded his head slowly.

 

“I was thinking… of doing the same thing with Jungwoo.” Mirae said, looking out to meet her glance with Doyoung ‘s. He was at lost for words, thoughts feeling

up his head.

 

“It’s okay if you don’t agree, I mean-”

 

“I- I think, maybe, it’ll be nice.”


	5. Guilt

 

It hurts. It hurts when Jungwoo opened his eyes to see the bright light provoking him. It’s not just the light, something felt… wrong, missing. Jungwoo took a

moment to look around him: It’s fairly obvious that he was on a bed in a hospital. He furrowed his eyebrows, the last memories he had was drinking coffee with

Doyoung.

 

“Woos! You’re up!” And with that Jungwoo looked to his left, watching his best friend rush to his side. Jungwoo opened his mouth to ask question, but nothing

came out. Doyoung seems to notice it and immediately poured him a glass of water. Jungwoo lets the water flow in his mouth for a few seconds before

swallowing it, it instantly felt better.

 

“Doyoung? What happened? Why am I here?” Jungwoo asked, he noticed how Doyoung looked away, head falling down slightly.

 

“You… uh the coffee that you drank, it was… there was something wrong with it, so you ended up fainting.” Doyoung stuttered, still avoiding Jungwoo ‘s glance.

 

“Oh.” Was the only thing Jungwoo said. His phone rang soon after, startling both Jungwoo and Doyoung.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Lucas? I’m sorry I’m afraid you got the wrong number.”

 

A mixture a guilt and relief washes over Doyoung at the same time as he realized Lucas was the one calling, and the surgery on Jungwoo succeeded.

 

“I am Jungwoo though?”

 

“I’m sorry I don’t recall.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“I’m sorry I have to go now.” And with that, Jungwoo hang up.

 

“Doyoung, the weirdest thing just happened to me. There was this kid called Lucas who claims that he knows me, he even knows Mirae and where I go for

university-”

 

Doyoung could felt that Jungwoo kept talking, but he dosed off instead of listening. To put it simply, he was panicking. He didn’t expect Lucas to call Jungwoo,

he had no reason to. _Does Mirae knows this?_

 

“I- I have to go for a while.” Doyoung said, before standing up and leaving a perplexed Jungwoo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you're wondering how Mirae did the surgery on Jungwoo, i don't know either.


	6. The piano, the call, and the heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where the pianist appears  
> Where the curious boy calls  
> Where the naive boy feels love

It was a nice sound. The sound of fingers chasing each other in a black and white garden, the sound of vibrating strings, the sound of hard work and practice, the

sound of a piano. The crisp yet graceful sound echoes throughout the hallway of the hospital, bouncing against the walls playfully. Jungwoo loved it. He had no

idea who was playing, nor how is someone playing a piano in a hospital, but all it matters is that it was there. He’s playing Kimi ga iru, from Your lie in April.

 

It’ll be okay. It took a lot of courage for Jungwoo to step out of his room. He took small, cautious steps, a hand on the wall to guide him walk. Ever since he woke

up, he felt ridiculously weak for some reason. A flash of red catches Jungwoo ’s attention, somehow, Jungwoo felt the need to follow him. The guy with red hair sat

down in front of the piano, and expectedly played the piano. Jungwoo was so immersed in the sound of the piano, that he did not notice how hours has passed.

The pianist seemed to notice Jungwoo, he turned around and smiled. A smile Jungwoo ’ll never forget.

 

*

 

Naturally, Lucas wouldn’t care much about someone, but somehow, it’s different this time. Jungwoo… is he the kid in chemistry? Lucas was curious, to say at

least. Is Jungwoo avoiding me, or did he really forget？

 

“1,2,3. 4,5,6. 7,8,9.”

 

“Kim Mirae? This is Lucas.”

 

“I’m here to ask about Jungwoo.”

 

*

 

_His name is Taeyong._

 

Jungwoo thought to himself, smiling proudly while walking back to his room. He didn’t notice the way Taeyong was looking at him, he didn’t notice how his

cheeks was tinted with a bit of crimson, he didn’t notice how full his heart felt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote three tiny "chapters" and decided to squish them together


	7. And it begins

“Ah Woo! You’re here again.” Taeyong greets when he saw Jungwoo walking towards him. Jungwoo smiled softly and sat down beside Taeyong. He looked up to see the music sheet Taeyong ‘d chosen for today.

 

“Secret base? Nice choice.” Jungwoo said, flipping through the sheets. Taeyong smiled at grab Jungwoo ’s hand by his wrist softly, placing on the piano.

 

“Let’s play it together.” That was enough to increase Jungwoo ‘s heartbeat.

 

*

Impetuously, Lucas found himself stumbled across the entrance of 127 hospital, the hospital where Jungwoo was in. It’s like… a friend visiting a friend. Yes,

that make sense. Mirae told Lucas just enough information for him to find the hospital. Frankly, Mirae didn’t exactly ‘told’ him, it’s more like a slip of the

tongue. Lucas walked down the unsettling white hallway, he stopped when he reached room 707. The door was slightly open, and Lucas could briefly make out

two people talking. The sound of footstep was getting closer, so Lucas did the most normal (cliché) thing he could have thought of: turning away and pretend as

if he was going the other direction. He heard door opening, followed by footsteps. Once it was inaudible to hear the foot step, Lucas turned back. Just as he was

about to twist the door open, he heard something. Jungwoo was singing, and it was mellifluous. Lucas froze in his track and listened to Jungwoo ’s singing,

head pressing against the wall, body leaning slightly. He stayed at the awkward position for a while, before finally getting the courage to open the door.

 

Jungwoo was still singing quietly, moving his head from side to side, wearing headphones. Jungwoo seemed too immersed to notice Lucas’s presence. Lucas pulled over a chair and sat beside Jungwoo.

 

“So uh, Hi.” Lucas said, after having an internal debate on talking to Jungwoo or not. Jungwoo was startled when he heard a voice beside him. He turned his head to the right to meet his glance with a pair of big brown eyes.

 

“I’m sorry to ask, but would you mind telling me who you are?” Jungwoo asked, removing his headphone.

 

“I- uh, I’m… Xuxi, Xuxi.” Lucas stuttered. Somehow, he felt the need to lie about his name to Jungwoo.

 

“Oh. Hi Xuxi. May I ask… why are you here exactly?” Jungwoo asked, right hand placed on his own nape awkwardly.

 

“Ah! A-about that… I- I heard you sing! It sounded great, so I came in?” Lucas said, although it came out more like a question than a statement. Jungwoo smiled softly  
after hearing the compliment, somehow that one smile was able to make Lucas melt.

 

“Alright, then… I shall sing to you, as a… as a thank you gift I guess.” Jungwoo said quietly. Jungwoo was a bit self-conscious about singing, but the smile on Lucas’s face was enough to encourage Jungwoo to sing.

 

Jungwoo started singing a soft tune. Lucas happened to know the song, so he joined along, making sure to keep his volume small so he could hear Jungwoo.

Jungwoo seemed a bit surprised to hear Lucas’s voice, it matched quite perfectly with his own voice: his soft and melancholy voice with Lucas’s deep and

content voice. It lasted for longer and was more enjoyable than both of them expected.


	8. In the rain

       It took two months for Jungwoo to realise his feeling for Taeyong. From his smile to his music, Jungwoo loved everything about him. Sometimes, Jungwoo would feel like Taeyong was too good for him. In those times, Taeyong would always find the perfect time to cheer him up, as if he could read Jungwoo‘s mind.

 

       It took two months for Jungwoo to trust Lucas completely. Lucas visited Jungwoo almost every day. Jungwoo didn’t know why, so didn’t Lucas. They would talk about their life and their interests, even sing sometimes. To be frank, Jungwoo enjoyed Lucas’s presence a lot.

 

       It took two months for Lucas to realise, he had fallen in love with Jungwoo. He did not understand how love work, but he knows Jungwoo is capable of making him feel loved. He wanted to be more than a friend to Jungwoo although he could tell Jungwoo see him nothing but a platonic friend.

 

       It took two months, for Lucas to understand Jungwoo’s feelings. He could tell how Jungwoo ‘s eyes sparkle whenever he talked about Taeyong, he could see how big Jungwoo ‘s smile gets when Lucas complimented Taeyong ‘s piano skills, he could feel the jealousy in his heart but tries to ignore it.

 

       It was raining softly, you could barely hear the sound of raindrops hitting the ground. When Jungwoo was young, he hated the rain. It reminde d him of the days where he would be mocked and laughed by other kids for being homosexual. They would lock him out of the classroom when it’s raining, pretending to know nothing about it when questioned by the teachers. Somehow, he grew to love the rain. He found it inspiring somehow, that each little drop of water had to replay the same process again and again. Or at least, that’s what he told others. He liked the rain because when you’re in the rain, nobody will tell that you’re crying. Jungwoo was staring at the raindrop outside his window, when Taeyong entered slowly.

 

“Woo? I have something to tell you.” Taeyong said, bringing Jungwoo back to reality. Jungwoo nodded his head, indicating for Taeyong to continue.

 

“I- I had a lot of fun when I’m with you. Piano was always my passion, but I preferred to enjoy it along, that is… before I met you.” Taeyong said shyly, avoiding Jungwoo ‘s glance.

 

“I’ve never met someone who understood me as much as you did, it made me really happy.” Taeyong continued. Jungwoo noticed how Taeyong was playing fidgeting with his own fingers.

 

“So uh… what I’m trying to say is, I really like-”

 

       He was interrupted by the sound of someone knocking the door. Taeyong sighed heavily, getting up from his chair to open the door. Before Taeyong was able to fully open the door, Jungwoo could tell who it was. His eyes were met with big brown eyes which is filled with something Jungwoo had never seen. Taeyong, however, knew what they were. It was the fear of losing someone. Lucas walked right pass Taeyong, ignoring his presence overall. Taeyong showed no reaction, leaning against the doorframe. Jungwoo could tell Lucas wasn’t the sweet, caring, funny boy at the moment. He was something… Jungwoo couldn’t quite point the finger to.

 

“Lucas? What were you doing here at this hour? You should-”

 

“I like you Jungwoo.” Lucas blurted. Unlike Jungwoo, Taeyong stood there calmly with a blank expression on his face.

 

“I- I like you too Lucas! You’re like my brother and-”

 

“I like you more than a friend, Jungwoo.” Lucas said. There was something in his tone that Jungwoo can’t quite understand. Taeyong cleared his throat, forcing Lucasto notice him. Taeyong pushed himself of the wall and walked straight in front of Lucas’s face.

 

“Rock, paper, scissors, shoot.” Taeyong had said. Lucas chosen rock, when Taeyong chose paper. Taeyong then moved away from to face Jungwoo.

 

“I like you too, Jungwoo, much more than a friend.”


	9. An argument

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally a longer chapter?

“Come in.”

 

“Jungwoo I-” Taeyong stopped himself when he realised Jungwoo wasn’t here, in fact almost nothing is here. His’s room in the hospital is quite vacant from just a few hours ago. The plants and decoration that brought colors to the dull white room are simply all gone. Doyoung was packing, putting the last items into a cardboard box.

 

“Jungwoo isn’t here.” Taeyong said, mostly to himself. Doyoung looked up, meeting his glance with Taeyong ‘s.

 

“I’m sorry but you are?” Doyoung asked before going back to packing.

 

“I’m Taeyong, a friend of Jungwoo.” And with that Doyoung looked back up.

 

“Taeyong? As in… the pianist that Jungwoo told me about?” Doyoung said, much more interested. Taeyong nodded his head slowly. Doyoung seemed satisfied with the answer since he finally smiled. My Jungwoo moved on.

 

“Nice to meet you, I’m Doyoung, Jungwoo’s friend.” Doyoung said, taking out his hand. With a handshake, they started talking. Their conversation around weathers died down, making space for an awkward silence.

 

“Oh and Doyoung? I like Jungw-“ Taeyong was stopped when someone knocked on the door.

 

“I swear someone always interrupts me whenever I’m saying something important.” Taeyong murmured under his breath as he hurried away to open the door. As if history repeats itself, it was Lucas.

 

“Jungwoo? Where’s Jungwoo? Did I get the wrong room? Why is it empty-”

 

“Young men, this is Doyoung, Jungwoo ‘s friend. Do you mind telling who you are and why you’re looking for my Jungwoo?” Doyoung interrupts before Lucas could keep rambling. Lucas opened his mouth but closed it soon after. He furrowed his eyebrows, taking in everything Doyoung just said.

 

“You- your Jungwoo? You’re his-”

 

“Friend. He's more like a brother to me than anything. ” Doyoung said. Both Taeyong and Lucas seemed relieved about his answer.

 

“Anyways you are?”

 

“Ah I’m sorry. I’m Lucas, or you can call me Xuxi.” Doyoung had a sudden shift in expression after hearing Lucas’s answer.

 

“You’re Xuxi? And Lucas?” Doyoung asked emotionlessly.

 

“Yes?” Lucas replied, confused about the sudden change in attitude. Doyoung dropped the box his holding with a big thump on the bed and walked towards Lucas.

 

“You made Jungwoo suffer so much! You have no idea how much he’s hurting emotionally and physically, yet you had the audacity to visit him every day!” Doyoung exclaimed. Lucas and Taeyong was both startled with Doyoung ‘s sudden outburst.

 

“Why though? Why Jungwoo? He’s the sweetest person I’ve ever met, who thought it would be funny to make him fall in love at the wrong person?” Doyoung  
continued, running his hand through his hair in frustration. Lucas and Taeyong simply stood there, not knowing how to react nor what to say.

 

“He was just telling me how he had met the funniest guy called Xuxi… ” Doyoung said. He was still talking yet neither Lucas nor Taeyong could make out what hewas saying.

 

“I’m sorry, but I’ve never done anything to Jungwoo.” Lucas finally stood out and said, broking the awkward silence. Doyoung looked up, he could simply kill  
someone with his glance.

 

“You’ve haven’t done anything? Are you fuc king kidding my right now? You’re the reason Jungwoo’s suffering so much-”

 

“Then tell me what I did to hurt him? Why would I hurt someone I like purposely?” Lucas shouted back. Doyoung seemed to be in deep thoughts after that. It was silence, before Doyoung made a noise while crouching down onto the floor.

 

“You… like him now?” Doyoung asked barely above a whisper.

 

“Yes!” Lucas exclaimed, almost too desperately.

 

“I should’ve known. Who wouldn’t fall in love with Jungwoo after spending time with him? Why did I said yes so fast…” Doyoung said, pressing his head against  
his knees.

 

“I- I can agree on that.” Taeyong said, after staying quiet for most of the time. Doyoung looked up with teary eyes.

 

“Lee Taeyong stay out of this!” Lucas shouted towards Taeyong.

 

 

Lee Taeyong.

_“Lee Taeyong.” Jungwoo blurted out one time._

 

_“What?” Doyoung put down the book he was reading and looked at Jungwoo._

 

_“It was Lee Taeyong.” Jungwoo repeated._

 

_“Jungwoo you’re not making sense now.” He said._

 

_“You’re always asking me who’s the one bullying me in elementary school after hearing the story from Mirae. It was Lee Taeyong.” Jungwoo had said._

 

 

“Your full name is Lee Taeyong?” Doyoung chocked out. Looking up to see Taeyong ‘s face. He could see that Taeyong nodded hesitantly.

 

“Do you go to Empathy school of knowledge for elementary school?” Doyoung asked. Taeyong didn’t reply, but the sore expression was all it needed for Doyoung to understand the situation. He left out a dry laugh, startling both Taeyong and Lucas.

 

“So you’re telling me, the two person who’s in love with Jungwoo is A, someone who caused him immensely pain and B, someone who bullied him as a child?”  
Doyoung asked, slowly standing up. Lucas did not understood what Doyoung meant completely, but he did know he’d never bully someone.

 

“You bullied Jungwoo as a child?” Lucas asked incredulously, looking straight towards Taeyong. Taeyong looked away almost immediately.

 

“Why?” Lucas exclaimed. Taeyong did not say anything, just staring at the ground.

 

“For god’s sake, so you can’t talk now?” Lucas shouted, sick of Taeyong ‘s lack of response.

 

“I’m so close to-”

 

“I was homophobic as a kid! Is that enough to please you?” Taeyong shouted back. Lucas was surprised at the sudden response. He was about to say something  
back when Doyoung opened to door to exit the room. Taeyong and Lucas both turned around to look at Doyoung.

 

 

“Both of you. Don’t ever try to come in contact with Jungwoo. None of you deserves him.” Doyoung said, before leaving the room with the cardboard box.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you have any questions or suggestions, you're more than welcome to tell me.


	10. Caught in a lie

“Welcome home, Woo.” Doyoung said after placing the last cardboard box on the floor. The house was pretty much the same, if not counting the lack of warmth. Doyoung had found himself brining Jungwoo’s belongings to the hospital manually, trying to convince himself that Jungwoo will be fine. That’s how he ended up with carrying 3 boxes full of Jungwoo’s belongings back to their shared apartment.

 

Jungwoo looked around the room, eyes glistering.

 

“I missed this place, a lot.” He said, before embracing Doyoung in a warm hug. Doyoung smiled softly and ruffled Jungwoo’s hair, before pushing Jungwoo away playfully.

 

“Ah you didn’t miss me? Oh I’m so hurt.” Doyoung said, acting upset. Jungwoo laughed at Doyoung childness, before falling onto the couch in the center of the room.

 

“I did, a lot more.” Jungwoo said, breaking a smile onto Doyoung ‘s face. Doyoung sat beside Jungwoo, holding Jungwoo’s hand in his. They sat in comfortable silence for a while, before Mirae arrived and joined them. The three of them were having a great time, joking around while making dinner.

 

“That’s, that’s great, I’m going to the bathroom. Don’t start on the soup yet!” Jungwoo said in between laughter, taking off his apron. He came out of the bathroom soon after, just as he was about to join Mirae and Doyoung in the kitchen, something else catches his attention. It was a rustic looking journal, so ordinary yet so intriguing. Jungwoo stepped closer and picked it up.

 

 _Hanahaki Research Project. Kim Mirae_  
Was written on the front page of the journal. Hanahaki? Jungwoo could felt his heart get tighter although he had no idea around why it did. He opened the journal slowly, flipping through the pages.

 

_2017.09.01_

_I was reading this book and there’s this disease called Hanahaki. It sounds pretty interesting… I might look deeper into it._

 

_2017.09.19_

_I don’t really understand why but I’m really into this hanahaki thing. It sounds more than just a made up fictional disease to me…_

 

_2017.10.08_

_I found him! I found a guy who studied hanahaki! I’m so excited to meet him!_

 

_2017.11.21_

_I think, I might be in love._

 

_2018.01.01_

_It’s real. Hanahaki is real. I can see it with my bare eyes, I could still feel the blood staining my hand, the petals mocking me with the sweet pink of first love._

 

_2018.01.29_

_Why do we fall in love? Why does it hurt so much? Why can’t he love me back? Why do I have to suffer? Why are there so many question I don’t have the answer to?_

 

_2018.02.13_

_He saw. He saw me on the ground, coughing out petals desperately. It’s okay, I’ll be okay, he won’t care._

 

_2018.02.08_

_I should do the surgery. I should. It’ll help me forget about him, and I’ll be completely fine, right?_

 

  
__  
Jungwoo’s mind was blank, staring at the empty pages. He was feeling a mixture of disappointment and betrayal, too upset to do anything.

 

 

“Jungwoo? What took you that long-” Mirae asked, checking on Jungwoo. She froze as soon as she saw Jungwoo on the ground, looking through her journal. Her heart beats rapidly as she snatched the journal away from Jungwoo.

 

 

“Kim Mirae.” Jungwoo said after being brought back to reality. Mirae had never heard her brother by her full name ever since fourth grade.

 

 

“You- you had hanahaki?” He asked weakly. He wanted to shout at his sister, ask her why she hadn’t told him sooner when he trusted her with his life, but he just can’t. Somehow, he felt understanding, sympathetic for Mirae.

 

 

“Hah… do you hear what you’re saying Jungwoo? Hanahaki… hanahaki is fictional, it’s not-”

 

 

“Kim Mirae why didn’t you tell me.” Jungwoo interrupts, standing up, looking sternly at his sister. This is one of the few times where Mirae felt physically and emotionally smaller than her brother.

 

 

“Jungwoo it’s not true-”

 

 

“It is! You never write anything like this and I’m your brother for 20 years! Do you really think I know nothing about you?” Jungwoo exclaimed. Mirae could feel how hurt Jungwoo is through his voice, breaking her own heart in the process. The loud noise led Doyoung to the scene, one look at the journal Mirae ‘s holding tightly is all it took for Doyoung to understand the situation.

 

 

“Jungwoo, please calm down.” Doyoung said cautiously, looking back and forth between Mirae and Jungwoo.

 

 

“I can’t! Will you be able to calm down after you realise, the sister you treasure the most lied to you and suffered immensely? All alone?” Jungwoo asked towards Doyoung although his speech is aimed at Mirae.

 

 

“As if you’re any better! When you had hanahaki, you didn’t tell me either-” Mirae stopped herself, hand over her mouth as she realised what she had just said.

 

 

“I- Jungwoo-”

 

 

“What did you say?”

 

 

“Jungwoo, I’m sure Mirae is just joking. She must be stressed-”

 

 

“What did you say?” Jungwoo asked again, ignoring Doyoung overall. He knew she wasn’t lying when he realised Mirae was crouching down on the floor, hands shaking in horror.

 

 

“I- Really? Why can’t I remember?” Jungwoo said, voice shaking silently.

 

 

“Why do you trust me so much, woo?” Mirae asked silently

 

 

“How do you know what I say is true Jungwoo?” Mirae continued, choking out tears. Jungwoo sighed while crouching down beside Mirae.

 

 

“Cause you’re Mirae. My sister who never lies to me, well, except this time.” Jungwoo said.

 

 

“Now tell me, what, why and when did I had hanahaki and how I have no memory of anything.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter took longer than expected...


	11. Flower Road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the end~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the last.

“Welcome. Is there anything I could help you with? What type of flower are you looking for?” Jungwoo asked the new customer. After all the drama, Jungwoo had grown to love flowers, so much so that he even opening his own flower shop.

 

              “I would like something beautiful, perhaps a flower?”

 

              “Flowers are nice, espacially pink flowers.” Jungwoo said, handing the stranger a bouquet of pink baby’s breath.

 

              “Long lasting love, that’s what baby’s breath mean.” Jungwoo explained with a plead smile on his face. The stranger smiled softly, taking the bouquet and slowly taking out his wallet.

 

              “Thanks. This is perfect.” The stranger said.

 

              “I’m sorry if it’s not okay to ask but, who are these flowers for? I know you don’t need to tell me and I’m just being curious and annoying and-”

 

              “They’re for you.”

 

              “I- I’m sorry what?”

 

              “It’s for you, Jungwoo. I’m Lucas, nice to meet you, again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this ending really sucks
> 
> -  
> the au turned out so much longer than i intended, but somehow im okay with that.   
> thank you so much for anyone who reads this till the end! *sends virtual hug  
> ah thats all, bye!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope I'm not wasting your time


End file.
